City of Bones, An alternate ending
by 93BexyG93
Summary: We all know that in the book, at Renwiks Jace's blade saves the life of Luke and Clary. But what if that blade missed? and how would the story go... find out
1. Chapter 1

"_Shut up!"_ Jace's control cracked and he turned on her, livid. Clary saw Luke glance towards them, startled by the noise, and in that moment of distraction Valentine drove under his guard and, with a single forward thrust, drove the blade of his sword into Luke's chest, just below the collarbone.

Luke's eyes flew open as if in astonishment rather than pain. Valentine jerked his hand back, and the blade slid back stained red to the hilt. With a sharp laugh Valentine struck again, this time knocking the weapon from Luke's hand. It hit the floor with a hollow clang and Valentine kicked it hard, sending it skittering under the table as Luke collapsed.

Valentine lifted the black sword over Luke's prone body, ready to deliver the killing stroke. Inlaid silvery stars gleamed along the blade's length and Clary thought, frozen in a moment of horror, _how could anything deadly be so beautiful?_

Jace, as if knowing what Clary was going to do before she did it, whirled on her. "Clary—"

The frozen moment passed. Clary twisted away from Jace, ducking under his reaching hands, and raced across the stone floor to Luke. He was on the floor supporting himself with one arm; Clary threw herself on him just as Valentine's sword drove downward.

She saw Valentine's eyes as the sword hurtled towards her; it seemed like eons, though it could only have been a split second. She saw that he could stop the blow if he wanted. Saw that he knew it might well strike her if he didn't. Saw that he was going to do it anyway.

She threw her hands up, squeezing her eyes shut --...

Suddenly there was a whoosh as the blade that Jace was holding went flying through the air between Clary's face and the sword. The blade hit the wall with a hard crash and fell to the floor with an echoing crash. Jace swore violently. The one time it was vital for his blade to fly straight and true, to knock away his father's incoming sword. He never missed a target in his life until now. Valentine grimaced as if he wanted Jace to hit his target he we knew he had waited too long to stop now and his new found daughter was in danger because of it.

"I shouldn't have bought you here, I should have come on my own then this wouldn't have happened." Luke whispered into Clary's ear, he knew that it was too late now there was nothing anyone else could do, not him, not Jace, not Valentine. He knew in his heart that this wouldn't have a good outcome. Selfishly he was glad that the blow would probably kill him too so he wouldn't have to mourn her.

Clary shook her head at him and almost laughed. "You know better than I do that I wouldn't have let you leave me behind, this is all my fault." She could hear Jace at the other side of the room, still swearing trying to think of a solution to the situation, an alternate ending.

The sword continued to plummet towards Clary and Luke as the moments passed like years. All the time mocking Jace for his failure, for letting her got to him, for missing when it counted most it was a failure he would never forgive himself for if he outlived the universe. After what seemed like an eternity of empty time the blade struck Clary square in the chest, Jace grimaced at the sight to be seen. Never in his life has anything make him this physically sick until now. He couldn't bear to look as Clary cried out in pain trying to reach the sword protruding from her chest. It was only when he chose to listen that he realised she was crying out his name. He ran to her instantly kneeling, crying in the puddle of her blood and the blood of the werewolf she risked her life to try and save. He could see now how extensive the damage was, the blade hit her at an angle, went straight through her and into Luke. Jace grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"Look at me Clary," he begged her, "Please, fight for me, it will all be ok, just fight for me." He begged tears falling down his face. Valentine came and knelt on the other side of the Clary and started talking to her.

"GET AWAY FROM HER" Jace yelled shoving him. "You did this to her. Just leave us alone. You don't even know her you just think that you do when you don't." Anger erupted in him.

"She's my daughter; I have a right to be by her side." He spoke softly without a hint of sorrow or remorse.

"No you aren't, she was right, she was right all along. You didn't really care you just wanted to feed your ego by having people manipulated into loving you." He just couldn't understand why valentine didn't stop. He knew he could, but he didn't and it filled him with fury. "You're not my father, you're not her father. You're a murderer and a monster."

"Jonathan, try to understand. I love her, I never meant for this to happen." He tried but nothing he could have said did or offer would make Jace forgive or understand him. There in that moment Clary's life flashed before her eyes, the arguments, the love and the fighting. Jace tried his hardest to resuscitate her around the sword but it didn't work, even the iratze but nothing seemed to work as her heart slowed to a stop and her cold delicate hand went limp in his.

"Leave us alone. I will never even begin to understand anything about you other than the simple fact you are a monster and a murderer. What had she done to deserve this, what had any of the people you've hurt done to deserve the train wrecks and catastrophes you cause." Jace hissed at his rumored father rage boiling over inside him.

"You and I aren't so different Jonathan, one day you will see that and you will understand that." He spoke calmly, with no remorse in his voice. "You can deny it all you want but wait and see, when your world falls around you like mine has you will see the truth in my words."

"You're wrong, in case you haven't noticed my life is falling down around me, you have just killed my ex girlfriend and my new found sister in one go, Hodge betrayed me to you and there is nothing I can do about it and I still can't see how you could _possibly_ think that you are in the right." His heart was pounding in his chest and tears running down his face. Valentine reached a hand down to him but he shoved it away. "Get away from me and don't come back. GO NOW before I decide to avenge my sister's death with your own sword." He snarled and Valentine stepped back in shock. He looked from the door, to which Luke's men were arriving oblivious to what had happened, then to the portal before taking the sword from where it stood in its victims and made a run for the portal and was gone. Jace hoped it was for good. If he ever saw his so called father again it would be too soon.

With a deep breath, whipping his tears from his face he stood up. He took hold of Luke and Clary, putting them over his shoulder. With one last look at the portal left to try and explain why Clary and Luke were dead.


	2. Chapter 2

Isabelle, Alec and Simon stood shell shocked at the end of Jace's bed at the institute. The floor of Jace's usually tidy room was covered in empty ice cream tubs and dirty spoons as he lay in bed stuffing his face to drown his sorrows. He had cried solid for 4 days and hadn't left his room in 6. His beautiful eyes devoid of life and energy, it was almost as if when Clary had died so had he.

"Come on Jace, you have to move or something, it isn't healthy to eat that much ice cream. I know you miss her a lot, but we all do and you will only end up fat and even more depressed so eat more ice cream and be even more fat, excreta." Alec commented prising yet another tub of chocolate ice cream from his hands.

"There's nothing to do."

"Yes there is we can go and get the b*st*rd that did this, avenge her, fight for her." Simon spoke with passion in his voice; he hadn't slept since the night it happened, blaming himself almost more that Jace blamed himself.

"What a mundane, a borderline suicidal and two shadow hunters against the most feared shadow hunter of all time. What's the point, Clary is gone, Luke is gone, Hodge is gone, Valentine could be anywhere, the cup is gone, Maryse and Robert still aren't back and the clave doesn't have the slightest clue what is going one because Hodge lied about telling them." He listed taking back the tub of ice cream.

"I liked it better when you were arrogant and sarcastic it is bet-"

"Leave it Simon. Look Jace I know it looks bad but we came through worse before." Isabelle spoke softly. "Anyway aren't you going to the funeral? To say goodbye to her properly?" Indicating to the ungodly short skirt and high boots she walked over and sat on the side of the bed and stroked her hand through his golden hair.

"One; it's not a funeral, they are cremating her, she wasn't even trained as a shadow hunter and they want to make her part of the silent city. Two; I want to remember how brave she was trying to save Luke. I don't want my last memory of her to be them loading her into a giant furnace." He hissed. "So no, I'm not going. I can wear black and cry in the private of my own room, but you better go if you don't want to be late."

The others left the room quietly leaving him alone to mourn in his own way; he had taken it worse than even Simon because in that moment he had lost a friend, a girlfriend and a sister over the space of a month.

The 'funeral' was almost empty, with Luke and Hodge dead and her mother in a magically endued coma, Magnus busy being high warlock of Brooklyn, Luke's pack too scared to show up and busy mourning Luke, Jace refusing to go and so many people totally oblivious to the fact the place was deserted.

"No one should be taken from the world so young, today we remember the young Clary Frey." The priest spoke in a low drone that made you more bored of your life than depressed about the deceased being deceased.

Back at the institute Jace had decided that there was something he could do. Pushing himself out of bed he shoved on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and left the institute. At first he didn't quite know where he was going and just travelled the streets on auto pilot, he was at a cross roads between going to annoy the vampires at their lair, going to the hunters moon and picking a fight with the werewolves or coming up with something else. Then the idea came to him and he was running as fast as he could without knowing where he was going. He pulled out his phone absentmindedly and started texting Isabelle

**You were right; there is something I can do. I can find her. Tell Maryse and Robert thank you.** Sending the text he found himself looking into the water over the side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Sh*t! What on earth does that mean?" Isabelle asked staring in shock and confusion at her phone with the boys looking over her shoulder. They were all frantically running from the ceremony now, no one quite sure what they were meant to do.

"I don't know but I think it means he wants to follow her to the other side so to speak." Simon commented out of breath.

"What? He is trying to kill himself?" She cried and picked up the pace. "How did you work that out? Are you sure? Where? What do we do? We can't let him."

"I may not like him but I wasn't planning on letting him." Simon shouted the others were far ahead now and he was struggling to keep up.

"Where are we meant to look first?" Isabelle asked looking at Alec.

"You and Simon go to Brooklyn Bridge, it's hypothetically the first place I would go if the tables had turned and it was you we were mourning. I will go to Magnus see if he can track him." Isabelle rolled her eyes at him as the split up and ran down the street.

**Jace for the love of god don't do anything you will regret.** She texted back tears falling down her face her heart pounding. She ran along the street her thick black hair like a cape in the wind and Simon about three car lengths and half a lamppost behind her.

"Wait for me Izzy." He called, not quite sure why he called her Izzy or if she even heard him.

"We don't have time. I will meet you there." She called and was off like a speeding bullet into the distance

Alec pounded impatiently on the button for Magnus' apartment. "Magnus! Its Alec, Hurry up this is important." He called as the door opened.

"What do you want now? Please tell me that stupid mundane hast turned himself into another random animal again." He asked impatiently, taking Alec's hand from the button. "You can stop ringing the bell for the apartment. I am here now in case you have noticed."

"No, It's not the mundane, Its Jace. I need you to find him for me." He panted still breathless from running. "We think he is in danger, he isn't thinking straight since Clary died."

"And you called me because? I don't even like the boy."

"I do. That's why I called you, you are the best warlock I know, and my best friend is in danger. There has to be something you can do."

"Fine, Come in."

From the end of the bridge Isabelle caught a glimpse of him, standing perfectly balanced on the railings. His breathing slow and his hair tousled from the wind.

**I know where he is. I was right he is at Brooklyn Bridge.** The text from Alec read, she almost laughed at the thought **I am on my way now.**

**I am already there I can see him. I think Simon was right as well.** She replied shoving the phone back into her pocket and sprinting with all her might to where Jace stood.

"JACE!" She yelled still over 200m away "JACE DONT YOU DARE!" He turned looked at her and waved looking back down into the water. His face was lit up with a smile now. He wanted them to know how it feels to watch the person you love die right in front of your eyes knowing there is nothing that can be done to stop it. He wanted them to know how he felt when the blade that could have saved Clary missed, to know how he felt when his and her father's sword struck her. He wanted them to feel his pain. Simon now had caught up with Isabelle.

"Jace think this over, come down." She begged him tears falling faster and faster, she was glad she chose to wear waterproof make-up today. She was now standing on the floor next to the railings; He looked so calm it was almost scary.

"What is there left to think about? I can't live without her Isabelle." It was clear as he spoke that he wasn't as calm as he first appeared. His voice was shaken and his eyes told a tale of nothing but heartbreak and longing, too old for the body they were trapped in.

"Do you think this is really what she wants?" Simon asked stepping forward.

"Keep out of this mundane, it isn't your problem, it's not your place to be giving an opinion."

"See we are making progress, you would miss making me feel like sh*t wouldn't you." He contemplated the thought for a moment lost in thought.

"Not as much as I miss her."

"JACE! JACE! JACE in the name of Raziel please just get down from there." Alec called coming close to where Isabelle and Simon were standing. His black hair plastered to his head with sweat. Magnus was following at a distance as well.

"I couldn't care less I just don't want to have paperwork to fill in when someone down river finds your corpse." The high warlock added in his I-am-better-than-you-and-have-way-more-important-things-to-do voice. Alec gave him a sharp elbow in the ribs and Magnus glared whispering something about turning him into a toad.

"So nice to see you again Magnus, polite and helpful as ever I see."

"Et tu. Sarcastic and Objectionable as ever." His purple kimono swirling around his feet making him look like he was flying. "Will you please come down?"

"You don't understand this. I can't live without her."

"Do you really think we can live without you?" Isabelle cried to him. "I hate you sometimes, SO bad, but you're like a brother to me. I can't live without you in my life."

"You're just saying that" He said looking down into the water.

"We can still fix this Jace. If you kill yourself she will have died in vein." Alec spoke grabbing hold of his hand. Pulling his hand from Alec's Jace crossed his arms across his chest.

"No. We can't fix this, we have nothing. We don't even know where valentine has gone; the clave doesn't even know he is alive. Its 3 and a mundane against the most feared shadow hunter ever to live." He sounded so sure, like there was nothing to change his mind.

"You don't know that, there's always hope. We can't just let him win." Magnus spoke this time, somehow managing to sound board rigid and full of compassion in the same sentence.

"It's too late. He has already won."

"LISTEN TO THEM! Can't you see they love you? That they don't want you to do this. They can't live without you and can't fight for her without you." Simon shouted adamant to reason with them. "If you don't listen to me at least listen to them."

"NO. LISTEN to me. I cannot and will not live without her." He said stepping off the side of the bridge. The sky hurtled past him as he fell. "I love you Carissa Frey." What he thought would be his last words. Alec, Simon and Magnus screamed panicking but Isabelle hand managed to stay calm and quick thinking, flicked her whip around her wrist and caught the falling Jace around the waist. He stopped falling almost instantly as Isabelle was pulled forward towards the railings.

"Alec, Simon, Magnus, will you stop panicking like little children, and help me pull him back over." They stopped panicking and flapping around instantly as they heard Jace moan as he hit of the wall of the bridge. The all helped to heave a squirming Jace back over the side of the bridge laughing and flinching as he hit the side.

As he rolled over the railing back onto the side Jace made a rude finger gesture at the 4 of them, 8 in his eyes because of the dizzying double vision.

"Why did you catch me?" He asked rubbing his head as Jace drew and iratze on his arm.

"Because I think you are being a selfish sod taking the coward's way out. It isn't fair on you, her or us for you to go throwing yourself off bridges." Isabella smiled picking him up.

"Will you at least let go of me with the whip then?" he asked moaning. "I feel like a 3 year old on a harness."

"No because you nearly ruined my hair and I don't trust you not to jump out in front of a train, at least this way I can keep my eyes on you."

"You do realise you're and insufferable...." He spoke muttering the final word in her ear. She laughed and gasped at him pulling tighter on the whip around his waist.

"You can't call me a one of those, it is very rude."

"I just did." He laughed sticking his tongue out at her.

"Fine then, I don't recommend you call me a one of those unless you want me to cut you in half." She said winking and pulling tighter again on the whip.


	3. Chapter 3

**I know this chapter is short but there would be a whole COA chapter incorporated into it so I have to keep it short. **

As they sat on the train back to the institute Jace, Isabelle, Alec and Simon had all agreed on one thing. If they were going to avenge Clary and live to tell the tale they would need an actual plan this time, no running in and hoping for the best.

"I need coffee before I can do proper plan forming." Jace yawned, all the action with the suicide attempt had worn him out. "I think we need to buy some good coffee, I can't stand the decaf stuff you got in when you were in your super healthy phase Isabelle it makes me sick." Simon and Alec laughed in agreement and Isabelle stuck her tongue out at him.

**Meanwhile there is no rest for the wicked (Insert the first chapter of City Of Ashes and the calling of the Fear demon)**

After ordering multiple cups of coffee to go and lots of snacks to keep them going Jace, Alec, Isabelle and Simon were on their way back to the institute, Simon with his IPod on a little too loud and singing louder.

"I have a dream, a song to sing, to help me cope with anything, if you see the wonder of a fairy tale you can take the future even if you fail." At that Jace and Alec laughed their face off and Isabelle pretended to dance with Alec, all oblivious to Simon completely absorbed by the lyrics of the song.

"SIMON" Isabelle yelled in his ear before pulling out the long white headphones, everyone laughed again as Simon kept singing along with the words. "Earth calling Simon."

"What? Are we there?" He looked well and truly like a rabbit in the headlights not quite sure where he was, what he was doing there or what he had been doing on the way.

"I so knew he was gay really." Jace laughed still mucking around with Alec.

"What?" Simons still dazed.

"Well you're not Scandinavian or a chick so if you are listening to ABBA that means you must be homosexual." Alec Laughed miming dancing queen with Jace

"It isn't gay it's just a different type of music to what you would expect, I am a well rounded person."

"Whatever, were at the institute now anyway." Isabelle intervened seeing that all hell could potentially break loose at any moment. Maybe they would have to go to her room because she didn't think Jace would like the chances of someone stumbling across his steps CD's.


End file.
